The fire at Yonge and Gould Streets yesterday consumed the upper stories of a 19th century commercial building that was built in 1888 by William Reynolds on property he purchased in 1847. Reynolds was one of the first bakers in Toronto and his shop was situated at the corner of Yonge and Gould. This morning, The . . . → Read More: Gould Street Fire consumes a bit of Toronto’s past

Have you ever wondered why so many east-west streets in downtown Toronto are crooked? Did you realize that this is an artifact of the way the original land was first surveyed and granted to the original landowners in the area? Might you be related to an early family that settled in now-downtown Toronto?

Above: This detail of the patent plan of York Township shows the narrow 100-acre Park Lots stretching between today's Queen Street and Bloor Street. A patent plan was an important working document in the surveyor's office showing the land ownership. Perhaps as early as 1796, this plan certainly dates from prior to 1834 when the Town of York changed to the City of Toronto. (Patent Plans, “York Township”, [178?]-[ca. 1978], Archives of Ontario, RG 1-100)